The invention involves the design of a unique torch for use with an electric arc welding or cutting system where the torch has special abilities to communicate with the welding system and the system is adapted to receive the torch. In many applications, components of the welding and/or cutting system deteriorate over time, and eventually fail. This failure often occurs without warning to the user and can result in damaging the workpiece such that work will need to be repeated. Further, failures can result in undesired downtime.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.